Get comfortable with grief, Part 1
Is the best place to begin with a new topic the definition?
According to Dictionary.com, grief is defined as, “keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss; sharp sorrow; painful regret.” Also, “a cause of occasion of keen distress or sorrow.”
Google dictionary, which pulls information from Oxford Languages, defines grief as, “deep sorrow, especially that caused by someone’s death.” Noted synonyms are sorrow, misery, anguish, pain, distress. Additionally, “trouble or annoyance.” (As in, Please don’t give me any grief about this blog post.)
A better definition, from the Mayo Clinic, “….a strong, sometimes overwhelming emotion for people, regardless of whether their sadness stems from the loss of a loved one or from a terminal diagnosis they or someone they love have received.”
Okay, better, but still lacking.
The same site goes on to explain that, “Grief is a natural reaction to loss….both a universal and a personal experience.” The experiences vary and, “are influenced by the nature of the loss.” Examples include the death of a loved one, the end of an important relationship, the loss of a job, loss through theft, loss of independence through disability.
Other definitions I found:
“Grief is the experience of coping with loss….can accompany any event that disrupts or challenges our sense of normalcy or ourselves.”
“….the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors connected to the loss of something important. It could be the loss of a relationship, a loved one, a job, an object, or anything else a person values.”
The reality I’m finding is that no one single definition seems to really get the job done. They all seem small, and grief is anything but. Through the series of blog posts about grief, I won’t be able to provide a tidy definition, but we will explore definitions, types of grief, events that bring on grief, styles, symptoms, and ways to manage your grief. There are many layers and tentacles. I’m so glad to have you along for the journey. We’re going to learn so much.